Spring is in the air...in our hearts! Here in southern Maryland, we've just finished our second day of cloudy and rainy weather. I'm thankful for the rain, but I have to admit, I'm ready for spring weather.

Maggie bought two beautiful hyacinths at Walmart today for $1 apiece. They smell heavenly! But when she went looking for flowerpots (she was eyeing my stoneware bowl collection...yikes!) she found this trio of yelloware on top of my hoosier in the mudroom. So the next trip to Walmart she will have to buy a third hyacinth. Oh goody!I took this picture on Wednesday of a geese formation. The wildlife has come to life around here. Ruthie and I were in my bedroom next to the window when we saw an eagle fly by...with dinner in its talons. (Fortunately, Ruthie wasn't able to tell it was an adorable baby bunny.) Ruthie spends a lot of time looking up at the sky hoping her mallard returns. She sure misses Buttermilk. My third sign of spring was when I walked by Allen's bedroom and caught sight of his beehive. His honeybees are due to arrive around the 16th and he can hardly wait! (Yes, there is no door handle on his closet door. We moved into our home before it was half finished...so bedroom door handles are still low on the list...10 years later.)Lizzie had her first guitar lesson yesterday, and is she ever excited! So far she's learned 5 chords and can play them well. For next lesson we need to bring a new set of strings (I should've thought of that) and a 3-ring notebook with a set of dividers. The five dividers will be labeled: Chords, Miscellaneous, Lessons, Patterns, and Repertoire. I enjoy watching the different music teachers and their methods.

Last night we had our first hymnsing in a long while. I asked Ruthie to take a picture, but she has her Momma's knack for blurry pics. I invited 60 folks, and 30 accepted. We had one couple cancel at the last minute, so we had 28 folks. What a wonderful way to spend a Friday evening! These folks were super about trying new songs. Maybe we can double our attendance at the next hymnsing.

One of our funniest moments happened with 4 year old Mary. We sang a song called "Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus"...a song Mary's Dad sings to her at bedtime. As soon as Mary heard us singing this song...her eyes got big and round...she thought it was bedtime! She asked her Mom, "Bye bye time?" What a cutie she is!

We got to hear Mary's sisters playing the piano. They've been keeping their talent a secret! Hopefully we will get to hear them for special music at evening church before long. Two of my friends gave me hostess gifts. Lyn gave me these two treats...Chamomile Mango tea (love it!) and Junior Mints. For a split second I wondered how she knew these are favorites...then I remembered she reads my blog. Ha! My other friend, Lynn, gave me a jar of handcream she made. Wow! I've been enjoying researching some of the ingredients. Sometime I will have to pick her brain about this hobby of hers. One of the ingredients is Jojoba. Do you know how to pronounce that? I looked it up. [hoh-hoh-buh] A shrub of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, bearing seeds that are the source of an oil (jojoba oil) used in cosmetics and as a lubricant. Now I know!

Thanks so much, Lyn and Lynn. What thoughtful gifts!

Today has been lowkey. Maggie's friends, Laura and Natalie, spent the night. They stayed up late playing card games.This morning, Mike took Sarah to the airport so she could fly to Alabama to visit her best friend, a new Mom. This is beautiful baby Khy. He only weighed a little over 5 lbs when he was born, so he looks big to us now. Sarah has been itching to hold this baby for almost a month. Have a good time, Sarah. Send pics!!

Lizzie went to visit her friends at Greenwell State Park where she used to volunteer...until her allergies put a stop to that. She had a good morning taking care of the horses, but her eyes are puffy this afternoon.

Mike took Anna, Allen, and Maggie to the library's annual booksale. They bought 14 books for $20. The subjects were flower pressing, building outdoor buildings, cabins, native americans, southwest cooking, weaving, quilting, woodworking, and mathematics. Great reading!

We lose an hour of sleep tonight, so we will be hitting the sack early. Hope you are enjoying your weekend. As Easter approaches, I find myself meditating on the cross, and the precious blood that was shed for my sins. No one could be more undeserving than me. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, Oh for grace to trust Him more!

Many blessings ~ Kathie